Now showing at BEYOND THE STREETS in Los Angeles, this rare exhibition captures the bold spirit of Ghana’s mobile cinema movement.
A Cinematic Subculture Reimagined in Paint
In the 1980s, long before digital projection and high-gloss posters became the norm, mobile cinema operators in Ghana brought movies to remote villages armed with just a TV, VCR, gas generator — and a sense of spectacle. Without access to commercial printing, they enlisted local artists to create vivid, hand-painted posters that fused Western film narratives with Ghana’s own visual traditions.
Now, that underground movement gets its due in VHS Dreams: The Art of Ghana’s Mobile Cinema, an exhibition currently on view at BEYOND THE STREETS in Los Angeles through August 23. Curated by Deadly Prey Gallery, the show features one of the largest collections of these one-of-a-kind posters, each painted by hand — and often on the backs of recycled flour sacks.
Painting Hype into Existence
The exhibition spotlights 10 Ghanaian artists, many working out of Accra, who helped define the genre with wild reimaginings of popular films. The posters brim with exaggerated action: oversized muscles, surreal monsters, blood-splashed scenes — all rendered in bold brushstrokes. These works didn’t just advertise a movie; they amplified its energy, translated it for local audiences, and made it unforgettable.
At the intersection of sign painting, propaganda art, and guerrilla marketing, these posters embody a visual culture born out of both limitation and creativity. They’re equal parts fan art and folk tradition, blending global cinema with unmistakably local expression.
A Tribute to Tactile Storytelling
“In a contemporary moment where digital reproduction dominates, VHS Dreams reasserts the tactile, material presence of paint, canvas, and gesture,” the gallery notes. This show is more than a nostalgic look back — it’s a tribute to creative ingenuity, community storytelling, and a powerful artistic language that continues to resonate across generations.
Whether you’re a design lover, cinema enthusiast, or just curious about global visual cultures, VHS Dreams offers a rare and vibrant perspective worth experiencing.
